The young artist felt
instinctively that this man--the Duke--would not marry his little
comrade.
The three went back to work. When the rehearsal was finished, M. and
Mme. Darbois came in gaily to take their breakfast coffee with them.
Esperance kissed them tenderly and departed for the struggle on which,
perhaps, her career depended.
A day of competition at the Conservatoire offers the spectators a
series of amusing studies, instructive, puzzling and deceptive also at
times. Ambition, jealousy, vanity border on loyalty, sensibility, and
pride. Most of these young people are preparing themselves to begin a
sharp and bitter struggle for life itself. Others--and these are very
few--are in search of, if not fame, at least notoriety. They have
elected to enter upon this career, led by enthusiastic hope, their
love of the beautiful, and unconscious consecration to art; nor will
they cease throughout their lives to spread their propaganda in behalf
of all there is that is good.
When Esperance appeared for the scene of _Phedre_, a fluttering
murmur of approval greeted her, while several little outbursts of
applause were heard. She was so pretty in her gown of white crepe de
chine! Her youthfully cut bodice revealed the slender flexibility of
her neck; she might have been a bust in rose wax modelled by Leonardo
da Vinci. She carried all before her by her interesting interpretation
of the role. The tragic grief of the daughter of "_Minos_" and
"_Pasiphae_" was a revelation for many there from one so young.
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